The present invention relates to a processing apparatus for processing at least a sheet of disc film (that is a photographic light-sensitive material in a disc form supported on a core and is incorporated into a light-shielded cartridge so as to constitute a film unit), especially to a processing apparatus capable of accomodating therein a cartridge storing an exposed disc film and processing the exposed disc film.
Generally, disc films on the market have so far been structured as shown in FIGS. 1 through 3. In the drawings, reference numeral 10 indicates a cartridge which integrates its exposure window side plate 11 and label side plate 12 into a light-shielding structure so as to prevent a disc film 20 from being hit by light. The exposure window side plate is provided with exposure window 13, central opening 14, window 15 for opening and closing a light-shielding plate, pin insertion hole 16 for opening and closing a light-shielding plate and opening 17 for breaking a cartridge, respectively.
Inside the exposure window, there is light-shielding plate 18 arranged concentrically with disc film 20. When inserting a pin into pin insertion hole 16 and rotating, with pressing, the protrusion of light-shielding plate 18 exposed to a portion of window 15 for opening and closing the light-shielding plate, disc film 20 will be exposed to a portion of exposure window 13.
To central opening 14, hub 21 of disc film 20 is exposed. To the rear side of label side plate 12, a member is exposed so as to press one frame portionof disc film 20 in the exposure position.
For the details of such disc films, there are the descriptions in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,673 and Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection Nos. 113525-1978, 101940-1980 and 101942-1980; for the details of such cartridge openers, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,208,116 and 4,248,564; and for the general details, in `The Whole Story of Kodak Disc Film System`, Photographic Industries, April, 1982, pp. 26-41; respectively.
It has heretofore been usual that exposed disc films have been collected to the so-called `labs`, i.e., centralized film processing facilities so as to process them with large-sized automatic processors, and that dental X-ray films have been processed by hand.
In the case of processing disc films with an automatic processor, e.g., in the case of the Kodak system, with either a manually operated Disc-Opener Model H or an automatically operated Disc-Opener Work-Center, a push-pin is inseted through opening 17 for breaking a cartridge provided to exposure window side plate 11 so as to press label side plate 12 and, at the same time, to push out the bottom center portion 19 of exposure window side plate 11 to the reverse direction to that of the push-pin or to bring the bottom center portion 19 to a standstill. First, each cartridge is broken and the disc films are taken out to the outside. Second, a batch of the films is repacked in a light-shielded magazine and the batch of films and the magazine in all are loaded in an automatic processor, so that they may be processed.
For photofinishing roll films, speedy processing services such as a one-hour service have been routine with the spread of the so-called mini-labs. As compared to the above, the photofinishg facilities in Japan capable of DPE servicing disc films are still unevenly located. It is, therefore, hard to deny customers' impressions that the disc film photofinishers cause a serious delay in servicing. It is the present status in Japan that disc films have not been popularized yet, despite disc films have various advantages as photographic system.
Taking the above-mentioned present status in Japan into consideration, the inventors have proposed a compact-sized system in which a super-miniature type automatic processor capable of processing one to several pieces of disc films is installed at a substantially small shop space of DPE shops or the like so as to give speedy photofinishing services, and also proposed various improvements in photographic processing methods or the intruments thereof. The invention corresponds to a series of the proposals.
It is a principal object of the invention to provide an automatic processor which is particularly suitable to be used in a subminiature photographic processing system in which disc film processing services may instantly be rendered even at substantially small shops such as camera shops, and may safely and readily be operated by any unskilled operators.
As one of the solutions for aforesaid difficulties, it has been suggested to process the disc film without taking it out of a cartridge. However, there are many points to be solved before putting it to practical use, such as how to supply processing solutions into the cartridge and drain them from it, how to take the disc film out of the cartridge and how to find out the best structure for miniaturizing the apparatuses.